The upcoming iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max look set to benefit from a long-overdue upgrade to charging speed, if a new rumor is true.
Despite switching to USB-C for the iPhone 15 series, Apple limited charging capacity to just 27W of peak speed with the correct adapter — while wireless MagSafe charging tops out at 15W. That's tough to swallow when some of the best Android phones are capable of 80W fast charging without breaking a sweat. Looking at you, OnePlus 12.
That may be about to change. According to a new report from Asian site ITHome, the next generation of iPhone Pro models will offer 40W wired charging and 20W wireless charging via MagSafe. That could translate to a real-world improvement in charging speed that will dovetail with the other rumors we've heard claiming bigger batteries are being utilized on the iPhone 16, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max models.
In fact, the report states the increase in charging capacity is a deliberate move to "balance and improve the problem of increasing charging time caused by the increase in battery capacity."
It's at this stage we point out these are all unconfirmed rumors and need to be taken with a pinch of salt. But the iPhone 16 series is expected to debut in early September, a mere two months away. And this isn't the first time we've heard these wattage numbers being mentioned.
Last month, Paras Guglani wrote on X he believes the iPhone 16 series as a whole will offer 40W wired charging and 20W wireless charging. So we're willing to put a bit of faith in this rumor turning out to be legit.
IPhone 16 Series will bring new features and technologies and old colors with new camera design and a physical button and a 40W Fast Charging with 20W wireless! iPhone 13,14 and 15 was released on September so based on trend iPhone 16 will be following the same timeline!May 11, 2024
The downside is, of course, that Apple is unlikely to go back to bundling chargers with its handsets. So if you're looking to upgrade and take advantage of a 40W charging adapter, you'll need to purchase a new one separately to benefit from these new speeds.
And if you're curious, here's our extensive testing of which phones currently hold the best battery life in 2024.
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